


An Awesome Flood

by Somekindofpoet



Series: Don't Dead Open Inside [2]
Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), QWTD, The 100 (TV), queer the walking dead
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-08-13 11:01:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7974427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somekindofpoet/pseuds/Somekindofpoet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sequel to A Flood of Blood to the Heart! Alicia, Elyza and company continue to navigate their way through the wasteland that is left for them after the zombie outbreak. New characters, new places and more Lexark</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, back at it again with the Lexark drama! I'm feeling really blocked in my other fic at the moment, and this chapter came out so easily, so I figured I'd give it to you now. I hope you enjoy it as much as the last one, thanks for reading! I wrote and posted this with my phone, so please forgive me for any mistakes.

Hemorrhaging is often depicted as a gory, excruciating experience . The movies would always show the person struggling to breathe, holding on to their blood as if their mere mortal palms could deny fate's path. 

As the concrete began to shift into pink, absorbing the blood pouring from her body, Elyza decided it was not as horrible as the Tarantino films she adored would have led her to believe. She fought to keep her eyes open, content with watching the sun paint the sky into colors that reminded her of home. She could feel the life pouring from her, lifting her spirit into weightlessness. It was a freedom she had never imagined before. 

The heady atmosphere of relief drew a soft smile onto her features, and she couldn't imagine why she had tried to avoid this for so long. Dying was easy as pie. But of course, pie isn't all that easy, so maybe dying was as easy as breathing. She smiled again, allowing her eyes to droop closed with final images of the sunset on the Tasman Sea, the beautiful Australian sky and an angel with green eyes. 

Her picturesque reverie was rudely interrupted, and when she struggled to open her eyes she saw that the angel was screaming with tears dancing down her cheeks. The Angels soft brown hair brushed Elyza's lips, and her calloused hands touched her cheeks. 

Elyza frowned and reached for the ethereal creature's face, "Don't cry angel, I'll come back with you." 

To her severe disappointment, the Angel appeared to grow more upset at her promise and began to scream for someone called 'fucking help me'. Elyza could hear gravel under someone's feet to her left, but she didn't want to see anyone else, only the Angel with calloused hands and green eyes. 

The stranger to her left dropped next to her and spoke in what could only be described as a "freaking the fuck out but I need you to calm down so I'm trying to remain calm" tone.

"Alicia, honey, they can save her but we need to move her now."

Elyza decided she liked that voice, whomever it belonged to. Maybe it was another angel. She felt her brunette angel grip her tightly, too tightly and whisper in her ear.

"You have to hang on Elyza. I can't do this without you, you Australian asshole"

Elyza frowned, and cracked her eye open to see frantic emerald eyes full of tears.  
_Why did the other angel call my angel Alicia? Why did my angel just call me an asshole? That's just...._ her train of thought was wrenched aside as she began to feel the pain. The Angels were moving her and it _hurt_. 

It wasn't until she felt her back hit cold metal, and a body drop its full weight on top of her that she remembered. The memories rebounded throughout her skull, pummeling her brain with the realization that she was dying, and Alicia was going to be alone. She ripped her eyes open in the same moment she pushed herself into her elbows. The body lying on top of her gasped, scrambling down to sit on her hips. Elyzas wild eyes fell immediately onto Alicia, as she leaned off her waist and shoved Elyza back down. The sun went away with a slam, and she could only see white metal around her.

The blonde was confused, and in a terrible amount of pain, so she tried to sit up again, only to be met with a more insistent push by Alicia. She frowned and tried to speak but no words would come from her mouth, only cracked coughs and wheezes. 

Alicia bent down to Elyza's ear, "You have got to stop moving. They are trying to stitch you up, we're in a moving vehicle and there are Walkers everywhere Elyza. Please stop moving, just stay here with me." 

The frown on Elyza's face softened, but her confusion was still heavy on her, like a sheet had been thrown over her head so that she could hear, but only see shadows. Alicia slipped off of her hips when she stopped struggling, and laid to her right. Elyza turned her head to watch her lay down, and smiled at her worried face. She felt Alicia grab her hand from her side and watched as she brought it up to her lips. She knew the hand was hers, but it was covered in blood, and she wasn't sure why. 

For the first time since she began to regain her awareness, she had the notion to review any possible injuries to Alicia. While still lying on her back she moved her eyes from the top of her chestnut hair down to her boot clad feet. She seemed to be in good shape, aside from a bruise on her forehead, and a small scrape under her jaw. 

A small pink bruise could be seen near the collar of her shirt, but that one made Elyza smile. She chuckled and as she was about to attempt a line to make Alicia blush, she was interrupted by an agonizing tearing feeling in her side. She must have involuntarily expressed her pain through her features, because Alicia immediately sat up and pressed her hand into Elyza's shoulder. 

Elyza's vision began to blur, and she watched the picture of Alicia swim around in her eyes. She faintly heard the conversation around her, and tried to concentrate enough to understand what was happening.

"This is the best I can do for her, but I think she's going to be fine. She lost a lot of blood and I think she may have a concussion." 

Alicia's low voice came after the stranger's "What do we do? Is she allowed to sleep?" Elyza could hear the terror in her voice, so she reached out for her, hoping to grab her hand. Alicia reached back and held the outstretched hand, before turning back to the strangers. 

A man chuckled, "She can sleep when we get to the compound. You all can stay there until she recovers, and then we will talk to the jefe about your arrangements, if that's what you want." 

In the dark of the closed moving truck, Elyza could make out the shapes of three people, aside from Alicia next to her. The shapes shuffled away from them, further into the truck and began to murmur to themselves. 

Alicia maneuvered herself so that her back was against the truck wall, and lifted Elyza's head to rest in her lap. She smiled softly down at the blonde, running her fingers through blood stained hair. Elyza smiled back, but began to drown in confusion yet again. 

"Babe?" She croaked out, "What the hell happened? Who is that man? Where are we?" 

The words came out disjointed and rough, but she was determined to struggle though it. Alicia gulped and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. She shook her head and Elyza could tell that she was clenching her jaw and fighting tears. 

"What is the last thing you remember?"

Elyza thought slowly, trying to patch together her memory. "I remember being in the bed of the truck, we were almost done driving for the day. Nick was with me, Travis was driving and you and Madison were in the cab. Daniel, Ofelia and Chris following in that station wagon I found." 

Alicia nodded and sighed, "There was a horde, but I don't think you ever saw it being in the back. They came out of nowhere. Travis tried to avoid them but we hit a few and ended up in the sand on the shoulder. He lost control and the truck flipped." She was fighting tears now, so Elyza gripped her hand tighter. "I don't know how you did it, but you managed to push Nick out and away from the truck. Everyone in the cab was fine, we crawled out with scratches but that's when I found you." Her tears were falling without hesitation now, sobs wracking her shoulders. 

Elyza reached out and pulled her down to lay beside her, and did her best to hold her without moving too much. She wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay, she wanted to tell her that she had saved her life again. All she could get out was a soft whimper, as her own tears began to fall with Alicia's. She felt Alicia's arms wrap around her and pull her face into her chest. She could hear the girl's sobs slowing as she kissed the top of her head. 

"You can sleep now 'Lyze, they said you're gonna be okay." Alicia sighed into blonde hair, letting her last few tears dry on her cheeks. "Everything is gonna be okay."

\----------------

The smell of rot intermingled with antiseptics flooded Elyza's nose as she trudged her way into consciousness. Slowly, she cracked her eyes open, adjusting gradually to the bright fluorescent lights above her. When she tried to sit up, a sharp pain in her side forced her back down on to her back. She groaned and gritted her teeth, trying to gauge her surroundings without moving. 

She was wrapped in scratchy blankets on a cot, in a room that appeared to have been a gas station turned clinic. She could see other beds around her, all empty. There was a light on the other side of the room that flickered every few seconds, and the room was filled with the humming sound of the running refrigerators. The table next to her cot was overflowing with bloody bandages, that she hoped did not come from her. 

She couldn't bear to breathe the smell of blood any longer, so she forced herself up on to her elbows. The pulling sensation in her side was constant, but barely bearable. She sat up further and pushed the blanket down, pulling her shirt up at the same time. The gash on her side went from just above her hip to right beneath her ribs. The stitches were crude, but they held together as she moved. Further up her torso was a deep black and purple bruise blooming across her ribcage, making it a strain to breath comfortably. 

She gritted her teeth and swung her legs off the bed, determined to evaluate her injuries fully. Her feet touched the cold tile and she stood, one hand grasping the bloody table and the other holding her ribs tightly. She was able to take three steps until she could no longer bear the pain and she leaned on to another cot. 

"Elyza!" 

The blonde grimaced when she heard Alicia's voice from behind her, irritation apparent in her tone. She slowly turned herself to face Alicia, but the other girl was approaching quickly to hold her waist. She offered a half bashful smile and shrug instead of trying to speak. If she spoke she knew Alicia would hear the strain in her lungs as she tried to grit through the pain of what was most likely broken ribs. 

"You're not supposed to be up. You broke three ribs!" Alicia said as she slipped her arm around Elyza's waist, guiding her back to her cot. 

"Hah, knew it." Elyza mumbled quietly. She allowed Alicia to guide her back to her bed without struggle, and cooperated when she pushed her shoulders to lie down. The blanket was once again around her, but this time Alicia pulled up a chair and rested her elbows on Elyza's bed. 

"They said you shouldn't speak much, because of your ribs. Before you start asking all the questions I already know you're going to ask, I'm going to just try to explain everything. No talking Elyza, only listening, okay?" 

Elyza smirked and said, "Okay princess."

Alicia frowned and huffed, "Babe I literally just said... You know what, nod for yes shake your head for no. Keep your mouth shut." 

Even in the amount of pain she was currently in, Elyza felt giddy watching Alicia's exasperated features work themselves around her worry and irritation. She smiled and nodded, giving in to Alicia's demands. 

Alicia nodded back, her frown softening into worry as she began telling Elyza their situation.  
It took her a while to explain everything but in the end Elyza understood that their truck had been flipped, she was thrown onto the asphalt along with glass and a spare tire to the chest. The car holding Daniel, Ofelia and Chris smashed into a guard rail when Daniel tried to avoid hitting Elyza and the truck. Ofelia and Chris were the only ones to crawl from the car. There were people scavenging the area that heard the crash, and rushed to help. One of those people saved Elyza's life with his veterinarian equipment, and now they were at their compound with 30 other people. Alicia told her that she wasn't completely positive that the people could be trusted, but they were safe for now. 

The amount of information taken in, in such a short amount of time was exhausting for Elyza. She slowly rolled on to her right side, leaving pressure off the cut and bruise on her left, and patted the bed for Alicia. The girl seemed hesitant, but complied and carefully crawled in to face her. Elyza closed her eyes and smiled, humming in contentment. She was still in more pain than she realized she could stomach, but the smell of Alicia around her, and the feel of her hands softly petting her hair, made it a little better. She allowed herself to drift off again, knowing when she awoke this time she would be fighting to get out of the bed. She was grateful for these strangers, but she didn't trust them and she didn't want to remain indebted to them. For now though, she could sleep, and allow tomorrow to be miles away.


	2. I See Gold In The Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I see gold in the air  
> And promise in the streams  
> I see love in the hearts  
> Futures in our dreams  
> It’s a tunnel kind of vision   
> like alcohols involved  
> And I stray like a hound dog  
> But I’ma come back when she calls  
> When she calls I’ll come to her,   
> Oh when she calls I’ll come to her
> 
> -Gold in the Air (Jesse Woods)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it's pretty late, but here's the second chapter. Honestly, this chapter was never supposed to happen and I was going to go head on into blood and guts action, but I saw that clip of ADC with her butterfly knife and this is what happened. It's crack. And fluff. Bear with me, I promise I'll get back on track next chapter.
> 
> Once again posted from my phone, and unbeta'd, please forgive any mistakes.

*click click click, snap*   
Elyza's restless sleep was interrupted by the rhythmic sound, rousing her into a painful consciousness. Her ribs ached and her head was pounding. The click click click, snap was never ending, and with her eyes closed she couldn't place what it was. To her surprise, the sound was almost soothing in its constant rhythm. 

She slowly opened her eyes, bracing herself for the harsh florescent lights that would be shining above her bed. The panel of lights above her were off, however, and the building was washed in a soft blue light that hardly pierced the darkness around her. Slowly, she rolled her head to her left, only to see shadows of tables and beds stretched languidly across the white tile, looming and lazy in the half dark. The clicking and snapping sound came again from her right, sounding closer than before. She gingerly turned her head toward the sound, trying not to move quickly in her fragile state. Slow and steady footsteps approached, along with the mystery sounds that roused her.

Out of the shadows approached a slim figure, flicking their arm and hand in time with the clicking. A step, a click, a flip, a snap. Elyza squinted her eyes, trying to see through the murkiness at the figure nearing her bed. A brown leather boot broke from the shadows, then tight denim jeans and finally, Elyza could see Alicia's face surfacing in the dim light. 

Elyza let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding, and smiled at the sight of her girlfriend. Her attention was redirected to the movement of Alicia's hand, which was still continuously clicking and snapping something silver. 

"What's that you have princess?" 

Alicia nearly jumped out of her skin, not realizing Elyza had been awake and watching her. Her hand immediately stopped moving, revealing a knife gripped under white knuckles. 

"Jesus Elyza you scared me!" 

Any words that followed Elyza's question fell on deaf ears when she realized Alicia was holding a butterfly knife. Her jaw had dropped open, and her eyes widened in awe.

"Alicia, is that a butterfly knife? Is that a switchblade that you are doing tricks with?" 

Alicia tried to hide her bashful smile in her shoulder, but failed adorably. She nodded her head and held out her hand, showing Elyza her new toy. 

"Do it again." Elyza instructed.

"Do what?"

"The thing! Do the thing again." 

Alicia stared at Elyza for a moment, somewhat concerned that the girl was manic. She shrugged, and closed the knife, before flipping it open and twirling it through her fingers. She snapped it up and held the blade out, with a triumphant smile. Even in the dark, Alicia could see the dumbfounded expression on Elyza's face, and fought back a laugh. 

"I'm learning more too! That's just the one I'm really good at, check this one out." Alicia closed up the knife, then let it drop open over her knuckles, flipped it over her hand and snatched it out of the air so the blade was held out near her pinky and the handle was wrapped under her fingers.

Elyza's voice was choked and strained when she spoke, "Please stop. Leesh, please stop." 

Alicia snapped the knife shut and shoved it in her pocket, worried she had upset Elyza in some way. She rushed forward to check her, wrapping her hands softly around her jaws. 

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Did I upset you?" Her worry cut through her soft features, furrowing her brow and tightening her lips. 

Elyza took in a deep breath and shook her head, "No doll, no you've done the opposite." 

Alicia's worry changed over into confusion at Elyza's words, still not understanding what had suddenly affected the blonde. She tilted her head to show she wasn't on the same page, and the sight drew a hoarse laugh from Elyza.

"Babe what you're doing with that knife is making me want to do things to you that the doctor says I'm not allowed to do quite yet." 

The confusion on Alicia's face was slowly replaced with realization, and her cheeks turned pink as she ducked her head. When she lifted it again, her eyes were met with dark blue. It appeared stopping was too late, and Elyza was too far gone. 

Elyza pulled Alicia down on top of her, insistent and gentle at the same time. The end of the world hadn't afforded them many moments of intimacy, and they were starved for it. 

The open room didn't grant them any kind of privacy, but in the heat of the moment, neither girl cared. A few grumbles could be heard from fellow patients near Elyza's bed, but no one bothered to chastise them. Yet.

Elyza chuckled in between delicate kisses, "I'm not going to break doll. It's just a few cracked ribs." She lifted her hips and smoothly rolled herself on top of Alicia, pain in her ribs be damned.

Alicia's grip on her shoulders tightened, her nails digging through Elyza's thin white tshirt. A leg hooked around Elyza's hip, pulling her in even closer. The smirk was immediately wiped from her lips when Alicia pulled her head down with a growl. With her lips softly brushing Elyza's ear, she husked out, "Prove it."

The minute her brain registered the words, her body was reacting. She threw Alicia's free leg over her back, and lifted her onto her lap. The girl yelped but hung on to Elyza's shoulders tightly. Once she had regained her composure, Alicia moved to start kissing up Elyza's neck as she slipped her hands under the brunettes loose button up shirt.

Elyza felt teeth dig in to her skin right behind her ear and groaned loudly. It was the more intrusive noise that had been enough to upset her sickly roommates, and the grumbles grew into shouts.

"Get a room already! Dios mio!"  
"Pinche gueras!" Among other colorful Spanish and English phrases were thrown out at them, before Alicia huffed and threw her hands up. 

She growled in frustration and yelled out, "Bien! Vamos ahora!" She looked back down to Elyza, who's mouth had dropped open yet again and said lowly, "They gave me my own trailer. Take me there now." 

Elyza surged out of the bed, Alicia wrapped around her waist and wordlessly headed toward the door. Alicia scrambled out of her arms only a few steps in, stopping Elyza in her tracks. She turned and reached her hand back, motioning for Elyza to take hold of it and follow her.

"You shouldn't be carrying me with your ribs the way they are." She explained, as she pulled Elyza from the Farmacia and out into the night. 

It had been ten days since Elyza had been thrown from the truck, and for ten days she hadn't been outside. She gasped as she felt the cold bite of winter nip at her bare arms, even as far south as they were. She walked with her head craned back, allowing herself to be led by the brunette. The stars burned radiantly in the dark blanket of the sky, like earth had inherited an infinite amount of Suns. 

A sense of wonder washed over her, but when she dropped her eyes back to the girl who had suddenly stopped pulling on her hand, she was consumed by awe. Her green eyes were no longer eclipsed by her pupils, they were softer than Elyza had ever seen them. The corner of her mouth quirked up, and she reached out to run her thumb over Elyza's bottom lip.

"Come with me." She murmured gently, and began to pull Elyza away from the door of her trailer.

"But...wait I thought we were gonna.."

"Shh. I want to show you something first." Alicia replied, interrupting Elyza's disappointed stuttering. 

They walked through the small shanty town hurriedly, feeling like love drunk children who had snuck out of their second floor windows to run through the streets together. They giggled and whispered as they made their way through the empty corridors between shop stalls until the came into an open field just before the wall. Alicia let go of Elyza's hand and turned to grin at her before running into the ankle high amber grass. 

Elyza laughed as fully as she could, stretching her ribs in her pursuit. Alicia suddenly dropped and laid out on her back, pushing her legs out as far as she could. Elyza quickly joined her, as cautious as she could with her side softly aching. Alicia wiggled her way up to lay her head on Elyza's shoulder and breathed in the heady smell of the sun burned meadow. 

"No light pollution." Alicia whispered. 

Elyza couldn't take her eyes of the girl for long enough to figure out what she was rambling about. With a simple, "Huh?" Elyza felt her head being turned in Alicia's hand to face the sky. 

"No light pollution." Alicia simply repeated. 

Elyza stared into the Mexican night sky, and wrapped one arm around Alicia, her fingertips pressing firmly into her shoulder to remind herself the girl was real, and she was there. The other hand laced through the dying grass, holding on to the earth she had fought so hard to remain on. With the small town in the distance, the obsidian sky with its small dancing suns enveloped them, the universe swaddling the Earth's children as her own. 

For the first time in weeks it was quiet, aside from the chirping of crickets and the occasional call of a wayward cicada, above ground long after it should be. They had been on the move for over a month after the farmhouse had burned down, and though the situation that brought them to the colony was grim, Elyza was happy to be there. 

She closed her eyes and tried to absorb every atomic detail of the moment, for it would surely be over too soon and the reality of the walking dead would again become genuine. 

The air was crisp and cold, and though they had lost track of months, Elyza would guess that it was November, or possibly even early December. She could feel the brittle grass in her fingers, breaking and settling into the soft earth below, planting itself for an independent harvest in the spring. The moon was a sharp sliver, splitting the sky in delicate white light, turning the black of her eyelids pink. 

She was beginning to let herself drift off when she felt lips press into the corner of her mouth, and fingertips trail lightly from her belly button up to her chin. 

"Let's go inside now, before you fall asleep out here." Alicia said as she sat up, letting Elyza's arm slip from her shoulder. 

The blonde followed, allowing Alicia to help her to her feet and once again take her hand to lead her back to the trailer. 

The heaviness of sleep was quickly replaced by a sense of being that Ekyza could not explain. She felt present, like she was aware of everything around her, and that feeling brought her back to the thought of what she had intended to do before Alicia led her out into the field. As soon as the door to Alicia's trailer was opened, Elyza burst in, kicking it shut with her foot. 

Their tender reverie was over, and with a wicked grin Elyza grabbed Alicia and spun her around to face her. 

In between kisses that were steadily heating back up, Elyza said, "You are...so...perfect." She lifted Alicia again despite a mild protesting from the brunette. The objection didn't last long, as Alicia descended to Elyza's neck, nipping and soothing in familiar rhythm.

She grit her teeth around the pain in her chest and instead of walking through the trailer to where she assumed the bed would be, she pushed Alicia's back into the wall to the left of the short hall. A surprised grunt escaped Alicia, but she quickly returned to marking Elyza's neck, making it increasingly difficult for the blonde to remain standing. She shifted her weight in her hips to press roughly against Alicia's center, causing her to throw her head back into the wall and gasp at the sudden friction. Elyza took her opportunity to return the favor and go after Alicia's neck, kissing from her jaw down to her shoulder. 

Alicia ground into Elyza's stomach, enjoying the slight pressure, but desperately searching for more. Her fingers slid in to Elyza's hair, detaching her from her neck. No words needed to be said when Elyza looked up to find blown pupils invading green eyes once more, and Alicia's heaving chest. She lifted her back from the wall and slipped through the hall into the bedroom, closing the door with her foot and tossing Alicia onto their small bed. 

"And you thought I was going to be a fragile thing." She grinned around her words, teasing the girl panting on the bed. Instead of a reaction, she was roughly yanked forward, falling into a deceivingly soft mattress.


	3. Los Lobos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty dialog heavy, I hope it comes out clear and not confusing.  
> I thought about getting rid of Madison, but I really appreciate her character development in canon so I'm keeping her for now. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with Nick. Ofelia has disappeared for now, but I also haven't decided what I'll do with her. If anyone is interested in being a beta for this story, let me know!  
> Once again, posted from my phone and unbeta'd. As always, thanks for reading!

Elyza was happily seated at the small table in Alicia's trailer when the younger girl burst from her room. Her eyes were wide with panic, but her body was still slow with heavy sleep. As soon as she caught sight of Elyza in the tiny living room, she visibly relaxed. 

Elyza kicked her feet back, a warm mug in one hand, and an unlit cigarette in the other. "And to think, while I've been wasting away in a hospital bed, you've been drinking instant coffee and living like a queen." She smiled at Alicia and took a sip of the coffee. 

"I've been with you nearly every moment you were in that Farmacia. And I'd hardly call this," she gestured around the small building, "living like a queen." She snagged the mug from Elyza's hand and sipped it, softly groaning at the taste, as watered down as it was.

Elyza laughed and shook her head, rising from her chair to make herself another cup. As she stood over the stove waiting for the water to boil she barked out a laugh and glanced over at Alicia. The girl had her feet tucked under her in the chair, with an open book held in front of her face. She lifted her eyes over the pages, raising an eyebrow at Elyza before sipping her coffee again.

"What is so funny?" 

Elyza shook her head, "This feels awfully domestic, don't you think?"

Alicia shrugged, "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all, it's just strange. It'd take some getting used to."

Alicia nodded, softly humming her agreement without looking up from her book. "There are some things going on that we need to talk about." She told Elyza, nose still in the book. "Drink your coffee and smoke your smoke, then I'll fill you in on what's been going on while you were on your vacation."

Elyza scoffed, but did as she was told in good humor. She pulled on her leather jacket, happy that she could wear it now without losing ten pounds of water weight. With her coffee hot and smelling like heaven, she pushed the door open to head outside. The sun had just begun to rise, breaking over the Eastern mountains and sending streams of light though the thin fog that had settled in the camp. The cold air carried the smells of wet grass and turned earth, rich in its winter rest. 

She leaned back against the tin wall of the trailer, and lit her cigarette, taking as long a drag as she could without stretching her ribs too far. She was halfway through slowly enjoying the smoke when she spotted Madison in the distance, storming her way right for the trailer. Elyza dropped the butt in the dirt, and ground out the ember with the toe of her boot before stepping off and heading to meet Madison halfway. 

"Momma Clark, you look especially joyful today," Elyza spouted off, even as the woman breezed past her and threw open the trailer door with as little as a grunt in her direction. The blonde frowned, and spun on her heel quickly following Madison inside. 

Alicia glanced up from her book to see her mother storm in, with a confused Elyza hot on her tail. "What did she do this time?" She asked Madison, referring to the blonde. 

"Wha?!" Elyza shrugged in disbelief behind Alicia's mother.

"Nothing," Madison turned to reach an apologetic hand out to Elyza, "no she hasn't done anything. It's Chris. He's gone." She finished, her tone calm, but there was panic in her posture.

Alicia laid her book on the table coolly, looking very much like the adult she had grown into, "What do you mean he's gone?"

Elyza moved around Madison to stand behind Alicia, placing her hands on the back of her chair. "Gone as in ran away," she said, "or gone as in, Hannibal Lecter human shish kebab craving gone?"

Madison shot Elyza a hard look, "I mean he took off. He must have left last night, he was gone when we woke up this morning." 

"You're worried about Travis leaving." Alicia assumed aloud. 

Madison shook her head, "He's already on his way out."

"Elyza can't travel mom, she's still hurt!" Alicia's panic leaked through her stoic composure at the realization of what Madison was implying. 

"We can come back Leesh, we just need to track him..."

"No. I'm staying here with her. Go if you need to go, I'm not going anywhere."

Elyza placed her hands on Alicia's shoulders and leaned over to her left side, "You should go. Be with your family princess. I'll be fine here until I heal and if you don't come back, I'll find you."

Alicia shook her head fervently. "I'm not going." She lifted her left hand up to her shoulder to cover Elyza's, "I told you, I won't go anywhere you can't follow."

Madison sighed from the middle of the room, and made her way to sit across from Alicia.  
"I had a feeling you would say that. You got that from your father." The woman looked down at her hands and released a puff of air from her cheeks. "I will go where you go. I owe you that much, for raising yourself when I was chasing Nick." 

Tears had begun to form in Alicia's eyes when she said, "You don't have to do that mom. You should be with Travis."

"No honey, I don't have to do it, but I want to." Madison's voice shook as she spoke. 

All three women understood what was unspoken. Travis and Chris would not be coming back. Once Travis left the colony, he would be gone. 

"I should be well enough to travel soon. We can look for them then." Elyza offered weakly.

Madison returned a sad smile, nodding her head but obviously not believing it. She stood from the table, leaned over and kissed Alicia's forehead. 

"It's good to see you on your feet Elyza." She said as she stepped out the door. 

Alicia sighed and dropped back into her chair defeated. Elyza took the chair Madison had occupied and rested her elbows on the table.

"Well that's one way to start your day, huh doll?"

"I still haven't even told you what was going on while you were on bed rest." Alicia put her elbows on the table and dropped her head in her hands. 

"I'm guessing Chris' departure wasn't much of a surprise? What did he do?"

"He'd been kind of distant and weird for a while, but he just went on this crazy bender saying he couldn't be here. He lost it bad a few days ago, but I thought he was coming back around. It's probably for the best, he left. He was starting to make people nervous."

Elyza nodded, and sat back in her chair. "I'm out of commission for ten days and our little group falls apart. What would you do without me?" 

Alicia rolled her eyes, "I hate to further your point, but that's not the only problem. Nick is under the impression that the walkers are still people. That they're sick and can be cured. He's in the middle of his own holier than thou epiphany." 

Elyza barked out a laugh at Alicia's fed up tone, causing the girl to fight a smile. Alicia hadn't realized how much she missed the blondes laugh in the ten days she was bedridden. Though she knew there was still a long while of healing for Elyza, she was happy to see the sarcasm and wit shining through once again. 

Before either girl could say anything else, a sharp knock was rapping on the door. Elyza raised an eyebrow at Alicia, "Expecting someone, cupcake?"

Alicia frowned and shook her head no, following Elyza when she got up to get the door. The blonde was tense, Alicia watched as her hand absently wandered to where her gun would normally be on her thigh. Alicia pulled her butterfly knife from her back pocket and flipped it open, making sure to click it loud enough for Elyza to be aware that she had it.

Elyza slowly opened the metal door, leaving the thin screen closed to the stranger. She had to squint her eyes in the sun as she tried to make out who was on their doorstep. The light filtered in through the dusty screen in orange streaks, but both Elyza and Alicia could see their breath in the new cold. 

She could see a slight figure of an older man, his hair was thinning and his shoulders were slumped with apparent age. As he stepped forward, Elyza pushed the screen open to get a better look at him. The man was in denim overalls that hung loosely off his body, with a red and blue striped tshirt underneath. He looked for all the world like a little boy trapped in an elderly body. 

"Aye, can I help you mate?" Elyza ground out, purposefully drawling out her accent. She felt Alicia shake her head in exasperation behind her, but she didn't budge. 

The man smiled a one toothed smile, "Buenas dìas señora, el jefe quiere hablar con usted." 

Elyza scrunched her eyebrows together and stared at the man for a moment, before Alicia leaned over her shoulder from behind her to say, "His boss wants to speak with you." 

"Tell him I need to grab something, and you're coming with me." Elyza ducked under Alicia's arm to head inside, making her way toward the bedroom. She could hear Alicia speaking to the man at the door, and Elyza thanked the heavens the girl could speak Spanish. 

In the bedroom Elyza lifted the mattress and found her beloved guns, holsters and all. Alicia had taken and hid them as a precautionary measure when they entered the colony. Elyza took one .45 and slipped it in the back of her jeans, taking care to check the safety and covering it with her jacket. Once the gun was safely hidden, she headed out the door to meet Alicia and the old boy/man outside. 

The man smiled his one toothed grin at her again, waving her along as he turned to lead them. Alicia slipped her fingers between Elyza's as they walked, relishing the small moments of security the colony brought. 

They walked between stalls where people were trading an abundance of items, from lettuce and tomatoes to ponchos and shoelaces. Children ran around them, skillfully weaving between people and stalls chasing a beat up soccer ball. The sweet smell of bread being baked wafted through the air, catching Elyza's nose like a cartoon scent trail. 

It was almost as if they were thriving in a third world country, instead of being on the run from dead risen. Elyza wasn't sure if she liked the contented feeling in her chest, or if it made her vulnerable and too comfortable. She gripped Alicia's hand a little tighter, and settled on the growling in her stomach as a distraction. 

After several minutes of walking and dodging, they arrived at the largest building in the colony. It appeared to have been a boxing gym before being taken and turned into some kind of headquarters. The double doors swung open as they approached, a thin layer of smoke rolling from the entrance.

The building was dim, causing their eyes to struggle in adjusting. When the doors lurched closed, the room grew even darker. The only source of light were hundreds of candles, burning and melting on every flat surface in the room. Though it felt somewhat ominous to Elyza, Alicia was elated. She nonchalantly pulled Elyza to a table filled with the flickering flame, and tried to breathe in without anyone noticing. Unfortunately for her, the candles were unscented. She tried to mask her disappointment, but it surely showed in the slight slump of her shoulders. 

Elyza quietly watched Alicia with silent amusement at her "secret" obsession with candles. She could tell the girl was considerably disappointed by the lack of perfume being burned, but kept herself from laughing at the reverie. 

Their small moment was broken when a small man entered the room from the far side, one bulking shadow of a man followed behind him, along with none other than Alicia's brother himself. Elyza frowned at the discovery, but was not all that surprised. Seeing a lack of emotion on Alicia's face told her she wasn't either. 

The man was older, his hair nearly gone, only hanging on in tightly buzzed patches around the crown of his head. He wore a loose tan bowler shirt and brown pants with loafers. Elyza thought he looked like Mexico itself. 

The little boy/man that had led them to the building stiffened beside them as the men approached, causing a heavy weariness to settle over Elyza. She leaned slightly to her right, unconsciously putting half of her body in front of Alicia. It had become so automatic at that point, neither girl noticed. But the stranger did.

"No need for that miss. We have no intention of harming any of you." He said with a warm smile. 

Elyza narrowed her eyes at the man, feet planted firmly. He reminded her of that old uncle that could have been your grandpa, or maybe it was your grandmas brother. Too distant from you to get comfortable with, but too close to pretend you didn't know them. 

The man reached his hand out to shake, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, you've become a bit of a legend in the colony." He chucked, "They call you El Petardo Australiana." 

Alicia snorted behind Elyza. The blonde knew she'd explain later, and she probably wouldn't enjoy her new nickname. She stuck out her hand to shake his already extended one.

"And what do they call you, mate?"

The man shook her hand and nodded, seeming impressed by Elyza's response. "Most people call me jefe, but I think it's a little over the top. My name is Alejandro."

It was at that moment, the doors swing open again, welcoming Madison into their dim abode. She approached the group, and took her place beside Alicia. She tilted her head when she noticed Nick, standing behind Alejandro. 

The old man nodded, "Ah yes. Now that we are all here, let us sit. We can eat and speak about our futures here en la colonia." He turned and led them further into the building, where a long oak table was already set and waiting. 

Elyza pulled out the chair in the middle, with Alicia to her left, and Madison next to her. Alejandro surprised her when instead of sitting at the head of the table, sat down directly across from her. Nick took the chair on her right, and the giant man sat to Alejandro's left. Nick playfully jabbed her with his elbow, an excited smile pulling at his lips. Elyza fought to hide the wince of pain as his elbow hit bruised and fracked ribs that were still healing. Nick caught the millisecond of pain though, and winced himself, mouthing "I'm sorry" to her before turning back to his plate. 

A group of three men entered the room from the back, each pushing a gray plastic cart. They stopped at the table, and stared blankly. Alejandro smiled patiently, and waved his hand toward the men. 

"I'll have the Hashbrown please." 

The man reached into the bucket and pulled out a brown plastic package, handing it to Alejandro with a tight smile. Elyza's eyes widened when she realized they were carts full of MREs. When the men came around to her side of the table, she asked for the hashbrowns for herself, and after a moment of thought requested the sausage patty for Alicia. The girl looked at her with in surprise, unsure of how she knew the menus.

"My dad always had MREs at home. These are what I ate for the first few weeks after everything went bad." She answered the unspoken question, and ripped the top of the MRE off with her teeth. She showed Alicia how to prepare the food, and then quickly moved on to her own. She had nearly forgotten about Alejandro before he spoke again.

"I'm glad you have a taste for MREs, most people complain." He smiled and continued, "I have brought you here to discuss the terms of your stay here. Everyone in la colonia contributes in some way. We will work out jobs shortly. But I must tell you, en la colonia, we pray before eating." 

Elyza nodded, "Oh yeah of course, apologies mate." 

Alicia his a small snort at Elyza, shaking her head softly. Everyone at the table bowed their heads, as Alejandro began the prayer.

It wasn't until halfway through that Elyza realized the crazy ideas Nick had about were coming from this man. His prayer spoke of keeping the dead close, and praying for the release and salvation of their families. Elyza wasn't a very religious person, but she respected that others were, and knew to behave during moments such as these. But something about this prayer have her the chills, caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand. She assumed Madison and Alicia felt the same way, if their tight posture and punched expressions told her anything. 

The rest of the meal passed in tense small talk, Alejandro informing them of the rules of the colony, and potential jobs they could work. He offered Elyza her own trailer, to which she quickly declined. She had one already, the one with Alicia. He didn't seem too bothered by her refusal, and continued spewing information about their new home. 

After they were finished eating and Alejandro was done speaking, they were excused for the day, with the promise of job assignments tomorrow. Elyza, Alicia, and Madison hurried back to Alicias trailer to candidly discuss the events of the morning.

Elyza plopped down on the love seat pressed against the back window, "Well that was fuckin weird." 

Madison sat in the chair at the table in front of the couch. "It was, but not terrible. We could make this place home."

Alicia sat on Elyza's shins until the blonde pulled her feet out and laid them across her lap. Elyza shook her head at Madison's thought, wary of the glamour in the colony.

"I think he's hiding something here. It all seems too good to be true." Elyza offered.

Alicia nodded, "And did you see how scared of him our tour guide was? He was shaking in his little overalls." 

Madison leaved forward in the chair so that her elbows her on her knees, "Not everyone is out to get us, girls. There has got to be some good left in the world."

Elyza replied slowly, taking her time with the right words to wrap her tongue around. "You're probably right Momma Clark. But we can never be too safe. Some sheep are wolves in disguise."


	4. La Luna Llena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have decided to take this story in a different direction than the one I had originally planned. I'm thinking more action, more gore, more obnoxious comments. Of course I'll put fluff in it guys, you know me. But mostly blood, bullets and cussing. From both of our favorite homos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone! I have made my fateful return to you all in the hopes of open arms. See before I restart this shindig I'd like to explain that in the months since I've written for you all I have moved from Texas to Spain, gotten a divorce, fallen in love, been left in the dust, went on a soul search to fall in love with myself and now your very own nomadic lesbian has returned! I hope that's a good enough excuse to keep my head out of the guillotine for leaving you all for so long. Anyway, if you are ready, buckle the fuck in. Let's get this party restarted shall we?

**One month later**

The construction site was damp, the smell of mold filled Elyza's nose until it was nearly suffocating her. Light flooded concrete floors from the cut windows that never had the chance to be filled with glass. The walkways were bright, in stark contrast to the corners of the abandoned building, the corners were darker than night. 

The hairs on the back of her neck were straight up, poised at attention, waiting. Listening. Her crystal blue eyes darted into every corner as she slowly stepped forward, her head smoothly swiveling back and forth. She had her Bowie knife in her left hand, and the fingers on her right were itching to pull her gun from its holster.

As she stepped into a pillar of sunlight, she heard the sound she had been waiting for. A soft scuff of a shoe, just enough to give away her target. She smirked knowing she would dispatch of her mark quickly.

She bounded toward her left, skidding around a concrete pillar to pounce onto her prey...which to her disappointment ended up being a tarp covering paint buckets.  
The clatter caused her to stumble forward but she quickly regained her wits, ready for an attack at any moment. 

Just then a body came flying out of the shadows and jumped onto her back, prying it's fingers into her collarbones. Without hesitation, Elyza reached her arm back, grabbing the back of its shirt, bent over and flipped it over her head and onto its back. She swung around and pressed her boot lightly into its neck before bending down with a huge grin.

"It was a valiant effort mate. But your shoes give you away every time." She said as she removed her foot from Nick's neck and reached down to help him up. A flash in his eyes as she bent down caused her to frown in confusion, as a loud screech filled her ears.

In the next moment she was flat on her face, a knee pressed firmly into her back and her arm twisted uncomfortably. She smiled into the chalky dust as a curtain of brown hair fell over her shoulder, accompanied by the most beautiful smug smile on earth. 

Alicia kissed her cheek before she let Elyza go, her version of gloating. 

"The screech was a nice touch love, but you've given your position away to my mates." Elyza said as she pulled herself up from the ground, dusting her black sleeves off. As she spoke, three men with guns came out of the shadows, surrounding Alicia and Nick and leaving them at a loss.

Alicia threw her hands into the air, "You didn't say you'd have cronies 'Lyze, that's cheating!"

Elyza tsk'd and wagged her finger at Alicia, "Always assume the bad guy has back up love. Always." She smiled and wrapped her arm around the scowling girl, pulling her towards the exit. "There's always tomorrow princess." 

 

The cold air bit at their cheeks as they left the concrete building, turning their skin rosy and their lips chapped. Although the sun still rose high above the mountains, winter had settled in lightly, dredging out every jacket and beanie around. The colony was bustling in the late afternoon, people going about their jobs, children darting back and forth between trailers and generally getting in the way. 

Elyza dropped her arm from Alicia's waist to shake hands with the men on her team and give them a meeting time for tomorrow. She had been appointed as the head trainer for combat. She taught the colony how to defend themselves from people more than anything, but she held private Walker lessons for those who wanted it. Alejandro had forbid the dispatch of walkers, as he continued his strange belief of re-humanizing them. It was a serious problem in Elyzas eyes, but one she could work around so long as they were safe.

Alicia had been appointed as a translator for meetings, but everyone knew her real job was keeping her girlfriend wrangled. She looked over to Elyza and couldn't help but smile when the girl twirled her Bowie knife through deft fingers. She must have felt Alicia's eyes, because she looked over and smirked before waving the men away and heading toward her. 

"What do you say I take you back to my place and we spice things up around here, eh buttercup? " Elyza drawled, laying the accent on heavily for her own benefit.

"You know, I'm actually pretty sure it's MY place, so I'll be doing the seasoning around here. Doll." Alicia put her arm around Elyzas waist this time, a sly smile just under the surface of her serious face. Elyza didn't dare fight the power play, and let Alicia pull them back to their trailer without another word. 

\-------

The moonlight trickled in between the cracks of the purple polyester curtains hanging in the window, washing the little bedroom in silver light. Elyza lay on her back, running her fingers through Alicia's hair that was spanned out on her chest. Luckily the heat had disappeared entirely, and Elyza didn't sweat off pounds in the night with her girlfriend wrapped around her. 

She had slept a few hours, but woke quickly, as she usually did in the night. She would lie awake, listening to the outside world, until she was sure she could relax into sleep once again. Tonight though, something kept her mind alert. The full moon outside was never a good thing for the colony, as people wouldn't need artificial light to see in the dark. 

She watched shadows dance across the beacon of light, a sense of peace beginning to settle over her. Alicia hummed contently in her sleep, shifting her leg and squeezing Elyza tighter, causing a soft smile to play out on Elyzas face. She let her eyes slowly drift shut, and felt the heavy blanket of sleep settle into her. Her breathing was slowing and her limbs relaxed, until a subtle sound in the distance caused her to tense entirely.

She didn't move, but her eyes shot open, her ears pricked and alert. Alicia's eyes sleepily drifted open, Elyzas tense muscles warning her of a change. 

"Is everything oka..."

"Shh sh love."

Alicia held her breath, knowing Elyza wouldn't shush her for no reason. They both waited, muscles poised for action at any moment. A minute went by, and another, until a faint pop went off in the distance.  
Alicia lifted herself onto her elbows as Elyza sat up, head cocked, eyes focused out the window.

"Alicia, slowly get out of bed, try not to put yourself in front of the window. Put your clothes on as quickly and as quietly as you can." Elyza whispered, her hands gently but hurriedly pushing Alicia off of her. 

Alicia complied without words, she knew enough by now that this was not a joke. She slid off the bed on her stomach until her knees hit the floor and she tried to quickly locate and separate hers and Elyzas clothes. She pulled on her oversized white tshirt she loved, a pair of tight blue jeans and her dark green bomber jacket before passing Elyzas clothes up to the bed. 

Elyza reached back for her clothes without removing her eyes from the window, watching every single movement outside. She quickly pulled on a tight black tshirt, her ripped black jeans, and her tried and true leather jacket. She finally tore her eyes from the window and slipped onto the floor to pull on her boots, and grab her guns from under the bed. 

Alicia was already strapping on a holster and coolly pushing her gun into the empty slot. She crawled to the far corner and pulled her bat out from where it was leaning against the dresser. The bat was old, her first real weapon of choice, but she had improved it over the weeks. It was now wrapped in barb wire, in addition to the dozens of nails pushed through it. She moved back to squat on the balls of her feet, the bat resting across her thighs, and looked to Elyza. 

The blonde had her leg holsters strapped and loaded with the .45s, her Bowie knife slipped securely into her boot, and her shotgun in her hands. She nodded to Alicia, before turning back to the bed, that sat right under the window. She grabbed a compact mirror from the floor, (Alicia's mess) and lifted it above the bed in an attempt to see outside. Immediately a sharp buzzing sound ripped through the air, and the compact exploded in Elyzas hand. She yanked her arm down and flipped her back to the bed. 

"There's someone with damn good aim out there. Fuck me, this should turn into one hell of a night princess." Elyza said, sucking in a breath and blowing her cheeks out before releasing the air. 

"Well, they know we're here, whoever they are. Do you think we can move?" Alicia asked, her mind moving quickly, thinking of reaching her family.

Elyza nodded, "I think we caught them quickly, hopefully they haven't surrounded us yet. Let's try to get to Nick's trailer next door, and we'll hop one by one until we can make it to the gym." 

She crawled to the sliding door of the bedroom and pushed to open, making her way toward the front door of the trailer. She popped the door open as quietly as the ancient metal would allow, and carefully peeked out into the night. The air was still and crisp, stinging Elyzas nose and eyes. Not a single thing appeared to be moving from this side of the trailer, but Elyza knew whoever was on the other side would be fast approaching. She reached back to feel Alicia behind her, and started to slowly exit the trailer. 

They stuck as close as they could along the length of their makeshift home, making their way toward Nick's that was situated immediately to the right. They crouched low and ran between the gap, skidding to a halt at Nicks door. Elyza lifted her hand to knock when Alicia stormed over and flung the door open. She stepped inside with more stealth and Elyza followed. Nick was crouched in the doorway, eyes wide and aware. 

"Was that what I thought it was?" He asked, looking between his sister and Elyza.

Alicia nodded, "We need to get out of here. Grab your girlfriend and lets go." 

Ofelia appeared in the door behind Nick, eyebrows raised. "I'm ready to go." She said, almost cockily.

The four moved from trailer to trailer in the same fashion, waking as many people as they could before reaching Madison's trailer and pulling her out as well. Soon the entire colony was quietly and quickly headed for the gym. Just as they reached the doors, loud cracks resounded, along with sudden thumps of bullets hitting walls, bodies and dirt. Panic rippled through the crowd, bodies who were once calm began shoving their way through the gym doors.

With Alicia wrapped in her arms, Elyza pushed her way through the throng of bodies and nearly fell over when they popped out of the crowd. The rest of the group were steps behind them. 

Elyza felt a strong hand grip her bicep, and pull her and Alicia up onto a platform. The hand belonged to Alejandro himself, and he looked afraid. 

"Mira Petarda, I had a feeling this day would come. You have trained the people well, but these men are not here for a fight. They are here to take, so if we lay low, we should survive." He said, his voice shaking, his composed mask sliding off. 

Elyza scoffed, "No one ever just takes. They're going to come for all of us, and if you don't think so, I invite you to stay here. My family on the other hand, will be getting the fuck out of dodge." 

Alejandro nodded and turned away, mumbling about 'too much information and joining his family at the gates'. Elyza wasn't keen to stick around to find out what he was talking about, or who the men firing guns at the colony were. Her first order of business was finding a back door, and then a vehicle.

The gym was loud with hushed voices, Elyza had never heard whispers so loud and frantic. The gunshots had stopped, so she assumed the looting had begun. She had taught the Clarks and Ofelia to always have a go bag ready, and not accumulate many things. They would suffer little to no material losses that way. She checked and each member of her group had a backpack at least half full, and she knew they had taken her word. 

Without speaking, she slipped into the crowd, working her way toward the back of the gym, her group close behind. All the training in the last month hadn't been for nothing, and she was happy for the time spent doing it. As she neared the back of the gym, she found what she was looking for; a red metal door stuck in the corner with the word SALIDA emblazoned across it. She ripped the prybar from the handle and slowly pushed the door open. 

There was an empty lot behind the gym, with about 100 yards of concrete. A chain link fence surrounded the compound, but there was a flaw. A gaping hole in the chainlink, filled with a yellow school bus.  
On the other side of the fence, were walkers. Hundreds of them.

Alicia was wide eyed with her back to the brick wall. "The gun shots are drawing them."

Elyza nodded, "The fucking screaming doesn't help either." She looked around, trying to survey the scene as quickly and efficiently as she possibly could. Beyond the fence and the walkers were small buildings here and there, dirt roads and farm fields. If they could find a vehicle and get it past the sea of zombies, they would be in the clear.

The bus was Elyzas first and most obvious choice, but it left her on unstable moral ground. If they moved it, the mystery shooters would be swamped by walkers, but so would the innocent people trapped inside the gym. Besides that, she wasn't sure the bus would handle mowing over a few hundred bodies without clogging up. 

She moved forward toward the bus with a hazy plan in mind. As she neared it, she found that the keys were sitting conveniently on the drivers seat, ready to party. She shook her head and moved past them, climbing onto the hood, and then attempting to scramble onto the roof.

She jumped and reached for the roof, but slipped and slid flat down the windshield and onto the hood. On her second try she used the mirrors as steps, but ended the same way. As she began her third attempt she heard a snicker, and a soft snort from the ground. Amidst all the terror and panic, she threw her hands on her hips and scowled down at her useless audience. 

The laughter was coming from Alicia, but Nick held a poorly hidden smirk on his face as well. The two other women appeared to be doing their actual job, and watching their backs. Elyza rolled her eyes and gestured toward the the roof of the bus, asking for help without actually having to ask. Nick pulled himself up on the tire then flopped over onto the hood. Once he situated himself, he knelt down and offered Elyza a boost.

She rolled her eyes and roughly used his offered knee to jump onto the roof. She turned and offered her hand to pull him up, but he shook his head, indicating that he'd rather stay closer to the ground. She shrugged and got to her feet, staying crouched in case the sniper had seen them. 

To their left was a narrow dirt road, that led to more tightly knit buildings and shacks, a walker haven. Straight ahead was a two story building, and just beyond that was an open field that Elyza couldn't see the end of. Finally to their right was what Elyza had been looking for. A short line of abandoned cars left behind by people coming to the colony. 

She could see an old Chevy Suburban, big enough to comfortable fit all of them and more, and powerful enough to mow through whatever got in their way. The red truck was just behind a patch of walkers, but it would take some work to get to without disguise. 

Elyza sighed, Alicia was not going to like this idea.


End file.
